Baked apples with burnt cream

"This is like the best apple crumble and cream you've ever had,
only deconstructed," says Lindsay. "It's a comforting autumn
dessert. Begin this recipe a day ahead to set the cream; you'll
also need a blowtorch.

Method

01

For burnt cream, bring cream, lemon rind and cinnamon to the boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, then set aside to infuse and cool to room temperature (1 hour). Whisk yolks and sugar in
a bowl until thick and pale (4-5 minutes), strain in cream mixture and whisk to combine. Return to pan over medium heat and stir continuously until mixture thickly coats the back of a wooden spoon (4-5 minutes). Pour into a 1-litre container and refrigerate overnight to set. When ready to serve, sprinkle an even layer of sugar on top and caramelise with a blowtorch.

02

For olive-oil crumb, preheat oven to 160C. Place ingredients in a bowl, rub together with your fingertips to a coarse crumb, and season to taste with sea salt and white pepper. Spread on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden (10-12 minutes). Cool, break into large pieces and store in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 5 days.

03

Preheat oven to 180C. Place apple halves cut-side down in a buttered baking dish large enough to fit them in a single layer. Stir sugar and 180ml water in a saucepan over medium-high heat to dissolve sugar, bring to the boil, then pour syrup over apples. Bake uncovered, basting occasionally with syrup, until apples are tender and syrup starts to caramelise (20-25 minutes). Remove from oven and cool.

04

Serve baked apples with a generous scoop of burnt cream, and scattered with olive-oil crumb and fried rosemary.